It Won't Be Long
by kayleecaquelin
Summary: It's been seven years since Bella Swan was killed in a car accident. Seven years of torture for Edward Cullen. Will Edward recieve redemption and will he be able to move on?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

It Wont Be Long

A soulless creature sits in a pew. The love of his life in a casket. People cry and talk around him but he doesn't hear a word. For, he is thinking of the love that he lost. The love he will never feel or touch again. The preacher took the podium but Edward didn't care. It was just a reminder that he was here and she was not.

"Bella..." Edward whispers, hoping she would hear him. "I love you. Please forgive me but I don't know if I can do this."

The preacher started to speak, snapping his attention back to the front of the church. His good hand ran over the bandage on his right hand. The pain was there but he couldn't care if it hurt or not. Carlisle tried to get him to take pain medication but Edward refused. If the pain in his arm hurt as much as the pain in his heart then maybe, maybe he would take the medication. But no medication would heal his heart. The pain would be there for the rest of his existence.

"We are all here to celebrate that life and death of Bella Swan. Bella was a daughter, friend and a lover. When the life of a young person is tragically taken away from everyone suffers," the preacher continued but Edward went into his shell. He could hear the preacher talk but couldn't interpret what he was saying.

Soon, the casket rolled by. Tears flowed down his face as Jasper put his arm around his shoulder guiding him out of the church. He didn't care if he ever stepped a foot in a church ever again. Edward promised himself that he never would. The graveside burial crawled by. Again, he didn't hear a word the preacher said as he looked at the casket. All too soon, people were walking back to their cars, everyone but Charlie and Edward.

Charlie hadn't said a word to Edward since the night of the accident. Charlie wanted to kill Edward but his deputies held him back. Renee was able to talk Charlie down but she wouldn't be around forever. Edward took a sideways glance at Charlie. He was glaring at him with tear soaked eyes.

"Charlie," Edward began but was quickly stopped.

"Don't even try to speak to me. YOU took my daughter away. It is YOUR fault. I will make the rest of your life a living hell." With that Charlie walked away with his head down.

"I'm so sorry," Edward finished even though he knew Charlie couldn't hear him.

Edward said nothing else as he collapsed on the casket. The shell of his love inside. When he got the strength to stand he used his shaky good hand to pull the poem out of his pocket. The paper was crinkled from being opened and closed numerously. It had water marks from Edwards tears that he shed as he wrote it days ago. He opened it and read.

__

It Wont Be Long

__

You said before you died,

That I was the key to your heart.

But the truth is you were mine.

I ask the Lord above,

To answer my prayers.

That you would come back.

But, that wouldn't be fair.

I now know that you're happy where you are.

Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Without any cares.

But I want you to know,

That I still love you so.

And I'll go on living for Him,

Knowing that His light will never dim.

Someday together we'll be,

But, until then, the Lord will take care of me.

So, keep on watching,

It wont be long.

That from this world,

I'll be gone.

Into your arms once again,

Safe from all the worldly harm.

When Edward was done reading the poem the paper was soaked with tears. He placed the sheet of paper under a red rose, violet lilac and a white lilac. He didn't have the strength to move anymore. Edward sank to his knees and curled into a ball. The day turned into night as rain fell from the sky. The casket had been lowered hours ago. The workers tried talking him into going home but Edward remained motionless. Dirt now covered the grave as he laid beside it. He didn't know what time it was but he opened his eyes enough to see headlights. The voices sounded muffled to him. They were talking but he felt like he was at the bottom of a pool. The figures of Alice, Jasper and Emmett appeared from the car.

"Come on man, it's time to go home," Emmett pleaded with him.

"NO, I'm staying here. I'm not leaving her, not tonight. She shouldn't be hear all alone tonight,' Edward rasped because he didn't have a voice to speak anymore.

"You can't stay here Edward. Bella wouldn't want this. She would want you to be with your family, not out here all alone," Alice said softly. Emmett lifted him up and carried him to his car. Edward struggled to be let go and left alone but Emmett's hold on him was too tight. When he didn't have the strength to fight anymore his body went limp in Emmett's arms. His cold, wet body soaked Emmett but he didn't seem to notice. Jasper opened the door letting Emmett lay Edward in the backseat of his Volvo. Alice climbed in on the other side letting him rest his head on her leg. She took a blanket they had brought and covered him up. Edward laid there shaking as he cried. He didn't remember going home as flashes of Bella popped in his head. Her smiling, laughing, concentrating and even her angry. Edward felt the car moving but didn't process it. Soon they were pulling up into the driveway. The lights of the house were the last thing he remembered as he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 1

When Edward rolled over in the morning he groaned. It had been seven years since Bella's death. Seven long grueling years. He rubbed the scar on his right hand. The wound had healed but that wasn't the only wound on his body. His heart was still ripped open from what happened on that frightful Saturday night. He dared not think about it fearing he would slip down into a worse depression than he already lived with. Today would be hard enough. For today was the day that he had to go over to Charlie's.

Edward was shocked when he received a call from Charlie one day. Charlie hadn't spoke to Edward for a couple of months after the accident but then realized that he could make Edward come over every Saturday. He knew that walking into the house every week ripped Edward's heart a little more but he didn't care. The way Charlie saw it, if he was going to be in pain then so was Edward.

In the beginning, Edward was given handyman jobs from mowing the lawn to painting the living room. These small jobs went on for a couple of months. In that time Edward and Charlie only said what had to be said. As the fall turned into winter the jobs were few and far between. This lead to Edward and Charlie walking into Bella's room for the first time since her death. It was time. Time to pack Bella's belongings into boxes. They spent the whole day slowly putting things in boxes. Some things would go to charity but others Charlie would keep. A book here and there, photographs, a baby blanket that was tucked in the back of the closet. There were other items that hit more to home for Edward than it did Charlie but Edward didn't say anything as he put them also into boxes. Tears rolled down his face as he looked at pictures from high school dances. He knew Charlie was crying also but chose not to say anything. The two men sat there together but ultimately alone.

Through the years Charlie started to forgive Edward. He realized that the accident wasn't his fault. Edward's handyman jobs slowly turned into fishing and camping trips, baseball games on the television and even fires in the backyard.

Edward climbed into the shower washing the nights sleep off of him. After showering he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt. The coffee was ready when he arrived downstairs. He poured himself a cup and the rest down the drain. He sat at the kitchen table sipping the scolding hot liquid as he looked over the morning paper. As usual, there wasn't anything that peaked his interest so he downed the rest of the coffee and set the glass in the sink. Figuring he might as well get the day over with he put his socks and shoes on. He gave his small apartment a once over before running his hand through his hair and pulling the door closed.

He tried not to think of much as he drove over to Charlie's. He only hoped it would be a good day, as good as it could possibly be. The buildings passed like a blur on the way there. Soon, he was pulling up to Charlie's driveway. Charlie was waiting for him on the front porch. Edward sighed as he parked. He had no clue what Charlie would want to do today.

"Charlie," Edward said acknowledging him.

"Edward," Charlie responded.

"So what's the plan for today?" Edward asked knowing it could be anything.

"Well, I was hoping you could mow the lawn then maybe I would order a pizza and we could watch the game together," Charlie stated like he was asking but he really wasn't. Edward knew this and nodded his head.

"Okay, I'll get started with the lawn and then I'll meet you inside when I'm done."

Charlie said nothing as he walked back into the house. It was okay with Edward. It gave him a little more time before he himself had to walk into the house. Edward forced a smile as he went into the shed to get the lawnmower and gas can.

After finishing with the lawn he walked up the steps to the porch. As usual, there was a bottle of water waiting for Edward. Twisting the cap open he took a long pull from the bottle before putting it back on. He wiped the sweat off of his face then sat down to lit a cigarette. As he inhaled the smoke burned his throat. He knew it was bad for him but it helped a little bit. For those few minutes he forgot about going to Charlie's every Saturday, he forgot about his family but the only thing it didn't help him forget about was Bella. Nothing would help him forget about her. She would always be there. After reaching the end of his smoke he flicked it into the grass.

Standing up, he walked into the house. Her scent hit him like a thousand bricks. A person would think after seven years that it would have disappear but it hadn't.. It was still there lingering, poking at his broken heart every time he walked inside. It seared inside of him, burning him from the inside out. The pain almost made him collapse in the entryway. The only thing that prevented him from collapsing was that Charlie was right there watching him. Edward grasped the wall for support and Charlie grimaced.

Charlie knew what he was going through. He had watched Edward every Saturday for the last seven years as he walked inside the house. Every Saturday it was the same thing, the gasp of air as he walked in, the stubble as he clenched his heart with one and the wall with the other. Charlie didn't know if Edward knew that he saw him. As soon as Edward recovered he walked to the couch and sat down. Nothing more was said about the pain they both felt.

"You know, I don't like that your smoking Edward," Charlie stated.

"I know," Edward agreed.

"I wish you would quit. Bella wouldn't like that you took up smoking," Charlie whispered the last part, knowing this was a turning point where he wished not to go.

"I know," Edward whispered shaking his head as he looked at the bottle of water like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Charlie turned the game on, knowing there was nothing more to be said. There was no point of nagging Edward about his smoking habit if he wasn't ready to give it up. He had been smoking for the last seven years. Charlie guessed it was the way he dealt with things, like how some people turn to alcohol.

Half way though the game Charlie called the local pizza restaurant and ordered a cheese pizza. It was always a cheese pizza, nothing else. Edward set a twenty on the table to cover the price. Charlie just grunted in disagreement but he knew he wouldn't win this one. Soon, the pizza boy knocked at the door and Edward went to answer it.

"Hey, pizza for Swan?" The pizza boy asked and Edward nodded handing him the twenty. Edward took the pizza and went to shut the door but was stopped by the pizza boy saying something. "Hey, don't you want you change?"

"No, keep it," Edward muttered as he shut the door.

Edward brought the pizza back into the living room and set it down. After bringing a bottle of water for himself, a beer for Charlie and a couple of paper plates Edward sat back down. Charlie muttered a thank you in response. Edward gave a forced smile in return. The two men ate pizza and sipped their beverages while they watched the game.

The day progressed and sun started to settle in the sky Edward stood to leave. He picked the empty pizza box, paper plates, Charlie's beer cans and the empty bottles of water up and brought them into the kitchen. After throwing the trash away he palmed his cigarette pack in his pocket. He hadn't had one since the morning after he finished mowing. Then he remembered what Charlie had said. _Bella wouldn't like that you took up smoking._ His chest tightened thinking of her but Charlie was right Bella would have kicked his ass if she knew he started smoking. Edward pulled the pack from his pocket and smashed them before throwing them away. The lighter went with it, having no use for it.

"Charlie, I'm going to take off. I'll see you next Saturday. Call me if you need anything during the week. I have a couple of shifts at the fire department but other than that I'm free." Edward called out as he paused by the stairs looking upstairs. In his mind, he watched Bella walk like float down the stairs. Shaking his head to snap out of it, he headed for the front door. He only took another breath when he got to his car.

Once at his apartment Edward didn't bother turning on the lights. He pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and made his way to the couch. He didn't bother making it to his bed. He wouldn't get any sleep anyway.


End file.
